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Ransomware Discovered On Some Google Play Store Apps

Researchers from McAfee’s mobile division have discovered a strain of ransomware called “LeakerLocker” on two apps that slipped through Google’s various checks and made their way onto the Google Play Store.

The apps in question were “Booster and Cleaner Pro,” which was billed as an app designed to boost memory on your smartphone, and “Wallpapers Blur HD” which is a wallpaper management app. When Google was informed of the issue, they promptly removed both apps, but there are a few points of interest here.

Firstly, both apps were part of a rewards program, which actually pays users a small sum to install them on their devices. This methodology is becoming increasingly common and has been used in the past to get users to install harmful apps on their devices.

Secondly, the researchers who found the app say that it’s not a scam. What this means is that it doesn’t rely on underhanded tactics in order to install itself, but rather, it relies exclusively on permissions freely granted by the user.

Before Google pulled the plug on these two, the cleaner app was installed between 5k and 10k times, and the wallpaper app was installed between 1k and 5k times. If either of those names sound familiar to you, and you’ve installed, but not yet run the apps, delete them immediately to avoid any potential troubles. If you don’t, you’ll soon find that you can’t get into your phone.

Note that this strain of ransomware doesn’t encrypt your files, but locks your screen and thus makes all your files inaccessible. At that point, your only options are to pay the fee or restore from your most recent backup, neither of which are great options.

While Google has a generally good reputation and a proven ability to stop malicious apps before they ever make it to the play store, as this latest incident underscores, the company isn’t perfect. You can’t ever afford to completely let down your guard.